Fire tower first tracks

Looking for a hike to do on New Year's Day, I headed to the Luskville Falls trail. I decided to avoid the vortex on the Wolf trail that keeps sucking hikers to another dimension (and the parking lots along Meech lake are now closed). There is plenty of snow on the west side of the escarpment too and although it was a cold day it was not too bad once in the shelter of the woods. I was lucky enough to see a young deer at the first lookout enjoying the view (pic above). There is some damage in the forest on the upper parts of the trail but nothing that can't be avoided and in fact all the snow and ice in the trees looks real pretty. It was a fun ride down on my mini sled which used the hiker's trench like a luge run.

More snow please! And more pics

Winter equipment check

Not the best of starts to the winter. Various weather reports showing large snowfalls but none were happening in around Ottawa. Still there was enough of the precious white stuff to get out on both skis and snowshoes to see if the legs still work and to try out new gear. I hiked the Wolf trail on Tuesday with winter hiking boots and some newly acquired microspikes. Surprisingly there was about a foot and half of snow outside of the well packed trail. Taking the right fork in the loop I got to test the spikes out on the somewhat icy steep sections. They worked great, not crampons but giving some extra stability on slippery sections of trail. It was a cloudy day but the sun came out as I got up on the ridge and I had a nice sit on the bench for about 20 minutes.

On Wednesday I went for a ski around Lac Phillipe where I learned to check my boots before putting them in the car (insoles were missing) and also that the payment for a day pass in Gatineau Park is optional (their term not mine).

Thursday I headed to the Luskville Fire Tower trail. It was quite mild and not as icy as I had anticipated. The steep sections weren't too slippery but the creek ice was solid enough to walk across. I tried out a new pair of winter hiking boots that were a lower cut than my other pair. I found them much more comfortable but I'm not sure if they would be the ones to wear in new or deep snow.

Here's hoping for some fresh snow especially around the Adirondacks where I have a few peaks on the winter to do list.

Hockey Day at the Luskville Fire Tower

Today is hockey day in Canada, a creation of the CBC where hockey is celebrated in small towns all across the country and there are three games shown (on CBC) featuring Canadian teams. What to do to celebrate the day? Well I decided on a snowshoe up to the Luskville Fire Tower. It was killer cold (-25C) in the morning but I wasn't about to downgrade my plans and wait for warmer weather. My collection of fleeces and tocques were put to good use along with two neck warmers and an old set of ski goggles. The rain from last monday meant the first part of the trail was steep and sheer ice and snowshoes were of no use. I put them on once I got to the first lookout and there was quite a lot of snow from then on. Both creek crossings were ice and therefore a breeze. I got to the tower just in time to meet up with a guy who had skied from Camp Fortune and got him to take my picture. On the way down I met a group of four with full packs. "You must have big lunches in there" I joked. It turned out they were practicing for an upcoming trip to Mt Washington. I did the loop taking the right side trail on the way up and the left side (left side of the creek) on the way down. A great sunny but cold Canadian winter day and an awesome day to be out on a hike. I think I may suggest a hike/ski outing from the Fire Tower to P10.

PS Senator beat Habs 3-2 in overtime for their 9th straight win!!